Dogfish Head

Mimosas and Bloody Marys may dominate the brunch-beverage rankings, but MateVeza is aiming to change all that with their line of caffeinated brews, which derive their buzz from yerba mate. With a brew that packs both alcohol and caffeine, it's no wonder they're promoting the concept of "Beerunch," a magical time when drinkers can knock back a couple of brews without returning to bed by 2 pm.

Beerunch will be in full swing this Sunday, and the MateVeza folks have brought a lot of good friends along for the ride, with their rare brews in tow. The event boasts seven beers in total, each paired with a different brunch dish. San Diego-based Ballast Point's beloved Sculpin IPA, which is rarely found on draft in these parts, will be paired with huevos rancheros, while Sierra Nevada and Dogfish Head's second Life & Limb collaboration (also a draft rarity) will go head-to-head with Medjool dates wrapped in Niman Ranch bacon.

Eric Clapton called Robert Johnson the “the most important blues singer that ever lived,” and to help celebrate his 100th birthday, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery will be releasing their tribute beer Hellhound on My Ale, early this May. The beer’s name is a play on words from one of Johnson's songs, Hellhound on My Trail; the beer marks another in Dogfish’s riotous lineup of “offscentered ales for offcentered people.”

Now that we've successfully defended our city's reputation on the baseball diamond, it's time to wage a similar campaign for our hometown beer. Wired magazine has been conducting a beer bracket pitting the nation's best brews against each other, and the sweet sixteen standings have SF-brewed Anchor Steam beer getting pummeled by Dogfish Head 60-Minute IPA, made in Delaware. At last viewing, Dogfish had 71 percent of the votes; Anchor received only 29.

The beer world is a pretty unique place. While most captains of industry wouldn't dream of giving away trade secrets, brewers aren't afraid to share their recipes and collaborate. "You wouldn't find Google and Yahoo! building a website together," Ken Grossman joked during his introduction of Life & Limb, a collaboration between his brewery, Sierra Nevada, and Sam Calagione's Dogfish Head. The two breweries are fairly different in their takes on craft beer. Sierra, based in Chico, is one of the original craft breweries, known for their superb Pale Ale. Despite their extremely wide distribution, they produce sustainable, bottle-conditioned ales that tend to have balanced, clean flavors.